GRAND RAPIDS -- With a stack of resumes in hand, Gerda Van Reenen roamed through Grand Rapids Community College’s career fair Wednesday morning, chatting with recruiters as she looked to land her first new job in decades.

Van Reenen, 55, of Plainfield Township, served as an elementary teacher for the past 33 years, teaching first grade for much of her career. But last fall she left her district, which she declined to name, feeling it was time for a change.

What she’s encountered is a slumping job market that’s left her wondering whether she’ll be able to find a job anytime soon.

“I’ve never done this before, so it’s overwhelming,” Van Reenen said. “They always say your skills transfer, but in my case, it’s tough to find out where they transfer to.”

She was among the dozens of area residents who attended the job fair, where 32 companies representing a variety of employers handed out brochures and told attendees about opportunities in West Michigan.

Van Reenen was encouraged by conversations she had with a temp agency and representatives of Christian Appletree Learning Centers, a network of daycare centers located throughout West Michigan.

“I’ve heard they’ve helped people,” she said of the temp agency. “So I’m wondering whether they can help me.”

Knowing that many residents are struggling to find work, GRCC administrators opened the event to members of the public in addition to students. The job fair was held at GRCC’s Applied Technology Center.

“We are really excited to be able to offer this kind of resource to our students and community in a time when the economy is struggling,” Luanne Wedge, of GRCC’s
Student Employment Services office, said in a statement. “The companies are looking for all kinds of workers with all types of experience levels.”

William Easterling, of Grand Haven, was drawn to the event with the hope of finding work as an automotive technician educator. He was laid off from his job at the Michigan Department of Corrections in June 2011, where he helped inmates pursue their mechanics license.

“I’ve had a lot of job opportunities out of state but nothing here,” Easterling, 47, said.

He said he’s thought about leaving Michigan, but the fact that his home is paid for and he has two teenage daughters in high school have made him reconsider.

“It’s not quite worth it to move just yet,” he said.

Despite Michigan’s slumping economy, Michael Morris, 27, is upbeat about his future. He plans on earning an associate’s degree in communications from GRCC in May, and he’s hoping to land a job with a company such as AT&T.

“I’m confident,” he said, adding the job market in West Michigan is better than his hometown of Detroit.

“I would like AT&T,” said Morris, who talked with a representative from the telecommunications company at the job fair. “Their strategy and their work ethic, it fits what I’m going to school for.”